Sound and Light – Security Devices

Many of the assaults against women, usually take place in areas that are populated enough to warrant the “carry” of a personal alarm. Personal alarms are very inexpensive insurance to carry and a “must have” for all women who think that their day to day life may put them in harms way. If you think about it, every woman is potentially open to attack and should carry an alarm in an easy to access spot, such as a pocket or purse.

Unlike a stun gun, or a canister of pepper spray which may not be legal in certain areas, the personal alarm is a non-confrontational, but effective means of thwarting an attacker. Models of personal alarms combining sound and light, are the most popular and target fears of possible identification & arrest in the attackers mind. Criminals of all type prefer as little sound and light as possible if making an attempt at assaulting a woman in a public place, and will “hit the bricks” immediately at the prospect of capture. Other personal alarms use a simple, high decibel alarm which activates when a pin is pulled, and are very popular as well. Some models are equipped with attachments to sound the alarm if hung from a doorknob, or with a spring loaded doorstop switch to trigger it if the door is opened. These little alarms serve as “double duty” devices.

Equipped with self defense weapons such as pepper spray, and stun devices a woman has a great chance of fending off a “would be” assailant, but lets not forget to carry a simple keychain or pocket personal alarm to really make a commotion and shed some light on the situation.

Mountain Lion Attack!

This is a little off the “crime” topic but definitely falls into the “prevention” area of self defense. I found this true “cougar attack” story and wanted to share a couple of paragraphs, giving you a link to read it in full as well.

Bits & Pieces:

“I was wearing a backpack and carried my 30.06 Remington ADL, because we had taken a shot at that bear the day before in this same area. About 15 minutes after I got to the animal I got tired of standing around. I sat my gun down, took my pack off, got my knife out, and was going to get a jump on field dressing the cow.”

“A few seconds after I leaned over the cow, something jumped on my back. It was as if a 250-pound linebacker had broadsided me. I hadn’t heard anything and certainly didn’t expect it. I had no idea what was going on. I felt the animal on my back. My back was hurting. I had my knife in my hand and it was just instinct to fight back. I jabbed at the animal, then jabbed again. I can’t say if it was the first or second blow that hit it. The animal screamed, leaped off my back and ran up the trail. I was driven into the ground by the power of the retreating animal. Once the pressure was off my back I got up, briefly saw my attacker, and then fell. “I’ve just been hit by a freaking train.”

After fighting off the animal he radioed his friends who arrived to render help and assistance. “You’ve been attacked by a cougar.” “What?” I couldn’t believe my ears. “Your back has been ripped to crud.” I lifted my shirt off and saw the claw marks in my shirt. My back had five or six superficial scratches – like a regular kitty cat scratch. I was really shaking and my buddies said I looked like a ghost. It scared the living hell right out of me.”

I hope you will take the time to read this hunter’s full story, as it is becoming more typical of stories we’re seeing on the news these days, popping up every couple of weeks in the Northern Mid-West regions, but weekly or more often, in the Western and South West regions of our country. As mankind grows and demands that more wildlife habitat be destroyed to make way for new towns, housing, roads and other amenities, it is a story that will be repeated more often until we have driven these beautiful, but potentially dangerous animals, to extinction.

This gentleman was very lucky to have a stout hunting knife, and the mental acuity to quickly act upon the offending critter. This quick action saved him from a further mauling, or even a quick bite in the neck, severing the cervical area of the spine or the arteries, both bringing instant death.

He chose my 3rd preferred animal deterrent – a knife, only topped by a gun or a steel baton for self defense at my house. Standard 20% OC pepper spray like Guard Alaska for bears might have put the beast to flight but the story will demonstrate that this man was very lucky as well, since he probably would not have had the time to locate, unlock and fire the pepper spray. It was only the “knife in hand” that was quick enough to put the lightning fast and agile cougar to flight.

Since we don’t normally walk around “strapped” and “loaded for bear”, it would serve the reader well to recall this, and the many other recent attacks by bears and mountain lions, and know that it is going to get worse before it gets better. Knowing where you are and what type of danger is present or possible, is something most of us are fairly keen on and do give some thought to. How come everyone forgets these same essential observations and planning when they hit the “great outdoors”??

I’ll never understand I suppose, why people think these animals won’t harm them or that they’re cute??? Yes, they are handsome creatures to look at but their jobs aren’t in Las Vegas as entertainers, or cute little fuzzy-wuzzy animals like your tea-cup poodle, to be approached and “studied” by amateur wildlife enthusiasts. They are predators, and they WILL kill YOU under the right circumstances!

A Stun Gun To Count On!

Today I have seen the first stun gun, not to be confused with a stun baton, which has extended reach and safety strips to prevent “disarms”. I have always been hesitant to recommend a stun gun in most situations. Yes they are a very potent deterrent against attack, but unlike a good OC pepper spray, which will produce strong results from a distance, the stun gun demands solid physical contact with your attacker.

Too many “credible” tests and real life testimonials demonstrate that certain people, by means of intoxication, mental instability, high pain thresholds or any combination, have in the past and continue to go right through average stun guns. So, I have always considered this fact and the possibility of having the stun gun turned against you (the intended victim) by a determined/crazed assailant. I am exposed to these self defense weapons and only until the volts are up to 500,000+ are the stun batons and stun guns superbly effective, causing a lot of pain to “perps” out to do you harm. You can blast through several items of clothing and still hurt – daze – put them down, or to flight at least.

So, what do I find as a delightful new offering from Stun Master? They have now released a super potent 775,000 volt stun gun powered by (4) 9 volt batteries. Talk about power out the wazooo! What’s cool about this stun gun is beside a standard on/off switch, the wrist “carrying strap” is attached to a pin that plugs into the bottom of the stun gun. It will be “disabled” if you lose the stun gun in any manner. It can’t be used against you, and it isn’t armed without it plugged in either! I also doubt that any attacker would advance toward the loud, ominous, distinctive sound the unit makes when 775,000 volts arc between the “test fire” electrodes. I feel pretty good about recommending this unit to anyone who has feared a scuffle while using a stun gun, and find it impractical to carry a stun baton. This new Stun Master stun gun offering is way hotter than their largest stun baton too. I’ll give it a “high five” for the sheer power and user friendly features!

Avoiding Dog Attacks

How many people would you think are attacked each year by dogs?

A survey by the CDC in Atlanta concludes that dogs bite nearly 2% of the U.S. population, more than 4.7 million people annually. Almost 800,000 bites per year, one out of every 6, are serious enough to require medical attention. Dog bites send nearly 334,000 victims to hospital emergency departments per year (914 per day). (National Center for Health Statistics National Hospital Ambulatory Medical Care Survey for 1992-1994.) Bites to children constitute more than 50 percent of the total number of bites. 26% of dog bites in children, and 12% in adults require medical attention.

Testimonial:

“I spun around and saw the attacking Doberman running toward us about 5 yards away. All I could think of doing in that instant is to hit the Doberman on the top of the head with the bottom part of my telescopic baton (the butt end) with a “hammer type” of strike. The strike was hard and I heard a bony click that was either the sound of the butt of the baton hitting the skull. I did not deploy (expand my baton) to whip him with it or in any way, escalate the situation, and the dog left the yard immediately as his owner came running up to help. Who would have thought that a relaxing walk with my dog would have turned into an encounter using such a high-level of force?” (Carrying a steel baton on a walk doesn’t sound relaxing to me?)

The steel baton is a weapon that can produce massive injuries in the hands of a skilled user and is better off left as a last resort in saving one’s life. If you aren’t skilled in using one then you probably shouldn’t be carrying it.

Recommendations:

If you’re taking a casual stroll in your neighborhood and feel threatened by dogs. Also, if you’re a jogger, cyclist, or a delivery man, we have found a fine, EPA approved pepper spray for dogs by Mace, a trusted name in defense sprays. Mace brand Muzzle spray is EPA approved as a safe, effective and humane protection against canine attacks. You can spray a dog or dogs at 10 feet and for up to 10 continuous seconds before depletion. Far better I think, than “nailing” your neighbor’s pets with hammer strikes in the skull, or whipping them with a steel baton.

Remember:

“Rule 1.” of defense spray use. = Don’t spray the offending pooch if the wind is blowing in your direction (or, don’t fire into the wind)!!

And of course, “Rule 2.” = Remember to follow Rule 1.

5 elderly people attacked by bears in Toyama, Akita

Five elderly people were injured Monday, four of them seriously, after being attacked by bears in Toyama, Hyogo and Akita, adding to a spate of bear attacks this year in many areas of Japan, police said.

Unbelievable as it may seem: Attacks by bears have left one dead and 77 others injured in 18 of Japan’s 47 prefectures over a six-month period through Thursday, according to a Kyodo News tally based on reports from police and local governments.

Experts attribute the frequency of bear attacks to a scarcity of acorns in the mountains, partly due to the high number of typhoons that have hit the Japanese archipelago this year. Wow some times you feel like a nut, sometimes you don’t!

We feel like the best defense in high risk areas like these mentioned above, or in the Northwestern USA, where black, and brown (grizzly bears) annually take a bite out of our US population, is to have a good offense. Now my weapon of choice would be the Winchester Stainless Defender with short slug barrel and extended magazine. Terminal bear medicine! For those who shun firearms or are in sanctuaries where their use is not allowed then you must have a canister of Guard Alaska Bear Pepper Spray. It’s a 20% OC pepper spray mixture and approved by the EPA, as being effective against all species of bears. It is touted as the most powerful bear spray available and the price is definitely right. If you can’t carry a weapon, then Guard Alaska or Mace Bear Spray, is a “must have item”.